chapter eleven

The squad stood frozen in disbelief as they witnessed the seemingly impossible - Garvin's body fully recovering after his head had been cut off. The eerie sight sent a chill down Nikita's spine, her voice trembling as she spoke, "What will we do now?"

Oliver, the seasoned warrior of the group, spoke with determination, "We must destroy him completely. Leave no body part intact for him to regenerate from."

Charlotte, still trying to process the horrific scene before her, shook her head in disbelief. "Easier said than done," she muttered, her voice filled with a mix of fear and skepticism.

Garvin let out a maniacal laugh, a twisted gleam in his eyes as he taunted them, "It's been a long time since I've had so much fun."

Oliver's anger flared at Garvin's callous words. "Fun? You think this is fun? Causing so much death and turning people into monsters?"

Garvin smirked at Oliver's outburst. "Well, they shouldn't have been so weak. In this world, it's a dog-eat-dog world, and I sit atop the table as a wolf, observing my prey, waiting for the right time to strike."

With a terrifying display of power, Garvin grabbed his own arms in a vice-like grip, tearing them apart from his shoulders. The severed arms hit the ground, only to grow into two more clones of Garvin.

Oliver's heart pounded in his chest as he faced three versions of Garvin, each more ruthless than the last. Doubt crept into his mind - could they really defeat him?

Charlotte, having regained her composure, reached for a crystal stone hanging around her neck. In a swift motion, she transformed her entire body into shimmering crystal, a defensive move to protect herself.

Oliver readied his sword, igniting it in flames as he prepared for another round of battle. Charlotte took the first move, launching daggers from her crystallized form towards Garvin. However, the clones intercepted the attack, protecting the real Garvin.

In retaliation, Garvin unleashed a magical orange beam from a third eye that appeared on his forehead. Charlotte attempted to block the attack with her crystal arms, but the sheer power of the magic overwhelmed her, sending her crashing into multiple trees, shattering them on impact.

Turning towards Oliver with a wicked grin, Garvin charged up another magical beam, aiming it directly at the priestess, Nikita. Despite Nikita's best efforts to create a protective barrier, the beam proved too powerful, causing the barrier to crack under the strain.

Desperation filled Nikita as she poured more magic into reinforcing the barrier, but it was futile. The beam broke through the weakening defense, striking Nikita in the stomach and bursting through her back.

Oliver's eyes widened in horror as he watched Nikita's lifeless body crumple to the ground, a pool of blood forming around her. Tears welled up in his eyes, a mix of sorrow and rage boiling within him.

Oliver's eyes burned with furious rage as tears streamed down his face, the stinging pain in his left eye adding to the intensity of the moment. With a surge of magic coursing through his legs, the ground quaked beneath him as he surged forward towards Garvin and his two clones.

His sword swung through the air, aiming for Garvin, but one of the clones intercepted the strike, blocking the blow. As the other clone attempted to attack him from behind, Oliver ignited his sword with flames, causing the first clone to recoil in pain as the blade cut through it in a fiery arc, slicing off the second clone's hand.

With swift and precise movements, he continued his onslaught, slicing through the first clone's legs before delivering a powerful kick, sending the sword spinning through the air. As the sword twisted mid-air, Oliver swiftly closed the distance, grabbing the hilt and driving it into the original Garvin's neck.

Standing face to face with Garvin, he wrenched the sword free, severing his head once more. As Garvin's head hit the ground, Oliver delivered a crushing kick, causing it to explode upon impact with the rocky terrain.

Breathing heavily, Oliver turned his gaze to the damaged clones, his left eye now bleeding but glowing with an eerie blue light, three swirling dots adorning the iris. With a solemn expression, he raised his arm, a golden magical symbol materializing in front of it. In a low whisper, he spoke the incantation, "Light magic: Cradle of the Grave."

In a dazzling display of power, numerous swords materialized from the magic symbol, stabbing into the clones with precision and force, dissipating them in a burst of light and magic. The battlefield fell silent, save for the crackling remnants of the magical energy that had been unleashed.

...

Garvin found himself on the rugged, rocky terrain, his body slowly regenerating after being severely wounded in battle. The process of growing back his body consumed a significant amount of his magic, leaving him feeling drained and weak. To make matters worse, his head had been cut off not once, but twice during the brutal fight. It was safe to say that Garvin was in deep trouble.

As his body finally finished its regeneration, he took deep, heavy breaths, his magic nearly depleted. However, his attention was quickly diverted as he noticed Oliver making his way towards him, moving at a slow pace that seemed almost taunting, challenging Garvin to make a move.

The sight of Oliver approaching filled Garvin with rage. How could such a seemingly harmless deer dare to intimidate its predator? Determined to show his strength, Garvin focused his remaining magic, feeling the strain on his body as he channeled it into manifesting a spear made of Chaos magic on his right arm.

With newfound determination, Garvin launched himself at Oliver, sending thrust after thrust with the spear, but to his frustration, Oliver skillfully dodged each attack, moving with precision and agility that seemed almost impossible to match.

Feeling the need to change tactics, Garvin leaped back, gathering magic around his third eye. With a fierce concentration, he unleashed a powerful orange beam towards Oliver, only to watch as the elusive deer disappeared from sight and delivered a bone-shattering kick to Garvin's body.

The impact of the kick sent Garvin crashing into the river rocks, shattering them and reshaping the landscape around him. As he lay on his back, blood seeping from his mouth and his vision blurry, he could hear footsteps approaching him, signaling the inevitable end drawing near.

"I'm going to die," Garvin thought grimly, his mentality consumed by fear and resignation. He never imagined that he, once a feared predator, would now become the prey in this deadly battle.

In his final moments, Garvin's mind drifted back to his past life in the unforgiving Yugaria region of the Kingdom of Ashrone. He reminisced about the hardships he and his sister endured under the ruthless rule of the kingdom, their suffering at the hands of those in power, and the tragic death of his beloved sister, a loss that still haunted him.

Glowing with anger and defiance, Garvin let out a primal roar, declaring, "I will not go out like prey. I am a predator." Drawing upon the depths of his soul, he unleashed all the magic contained within his body, pushing himself to the brink as his magical core began to fracture under the immense strain.

With grim determination, Garvin uttered the final words he would ever speak in this life, "Chaos magic: Apocalypse End." In a reckless and suicidal move, he unleashed a devastating attack that swept across the landscape, leaving destruction and chaos in its wake. By the time the attack had subsided, 40% of the forest lay in ruins, the landscape forever altered by the power of Garvin's last stand.

In a surreal twist of fate, Garvin found himself in another plane of existence, surrounded by a blinding white light. As he turned around, he was met with the sight of his sister smiling at him, reaching out her hand in a peaceful gesture. As he reached out to touch her hand, the scene shifted, and he suddenly found himself bound in chains, confronted by a sinister, devilish figure with black wings, horns, and glowing red eyes.

The figure, known as Saton, taunted Garvin, mocking his belief that he would find paradise after his actions in the mortal realm. With a chilling laugh, Saton revealed that this bleak plane of existence would be Garvin's new home, a place of eternal torment and suffering.